Oregon, OH Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Freeboard added to BFE
- one foot (sets the Flood Protection Elevation)
- Residential lowest floor
- must sit at or above the FPE
- Accessory enclosure vents
- 1 sq in per sq ft, two walls
- Nonresidential option
- dry floodproof to FPE, engineer-certified
- Post-construction proof
- FEMA Elevation Certificate by registered surveyor
- Datum used
- NGVD 1929 or NAVD 1988
Summary
In the City of Oregon, Ohio, new and substantially improved residential structures in a mapped flood zone must have their lowest floor, including any basement, built to or above the flood protection elevation, defined as the base flood elevation plus one foot of freeboard. Nonresidential buildings may floodproof to that same level instead of elevating.
(s) Flood Protection Elevation. The Flood Protection Elevation, or FPE, is the base flood elevation plus [one (1)] foot of freeboard. In areas where no base flood elevations exist from any authoritative source, the flood protection elevation can be historical flood elevations, or base flood elevations determined and/or approved by the Floodplain Administrator. ... (4) New construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure, including manufactured homes, shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated to or above the flood protection elevation.
Full Breakdown
Codified Ordinances Chapter 1165 defines the Base (100-Year) Flood Elevation (BFE) as the water surface elevation of the base flood, expressed in feet above mean sea level from the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 or the North American Vertical Datum of 1988; in Zone AO areas it is the lowest adjacent natural grade plus the mapped depth number of one to three feet. 02(s) adds one foot of freeboard on top of the BFE to set the Flood Protection Elevation (FPE), the actual construction target, and lets the Floodplain Administrator use historical flood elevations or approved base flood elevations where no BFE has been published.
04(d)(4) requires new construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure, including manufactured homes, to have its lowest floor, including a basement, elevated to or above the FPE. An enclosure below that lowest floor is allowed only for parking, building access or storage, and must either be engineered to automatically equalize hydrostatic pressure or have at least two openings on different walls, one square inch of net opening for every square foot of enclosed area, with the bottom of each opening no more than one foot above grade. 04(e). 03(g).
Violations & Fines
Failing to elevate a structure to the Flood Protection Elevation, or occupying an enclosure below the lowest floor for anything beyond parking, access or storage, is a violation of Chapter 1165 enforced the same way as any other floodplain violation: a written notice from the Floodplain Administrator, a deadline to correct the work, and, absent compliance, a strict-liability fourth-degree misdemeanor under Section 1165.06(c) with each day of noncompliance charged separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much freeboard does Oregon, Ohio require above base flood elevation?
Can I finish a basement below the required flood elevation?
Do commercial buildings have to be elevated too?
What proof does the city need after construction?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Oregon
Compare Oregon to another location·View the Ohio environmental rules overview
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Flood Elevation Requirements in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Lucas County handle flood elevation requirements.